Carol D'Onofrio facts for kids

Carol D'Onofrio (born February 24, 1936, died April 14, 2020) was an American scientist. She studied public health, which is about keeping communities healthy. She worked as a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Her main goal was to help people in communities that didn't get enough healthcare.

Carol's Early Life and School Days

Carol was born in Conrad, Montana. She grew up in Oregon and went to high school in Washington. She studied English and education at the University of Washington. She was even called one of the university's best women!

After college, Carol spent a year in Chile as a special student. Then, she moved to East Los Angeles. There, she worked for the local public health department.

She later went to the University of California, Berkeley for more studies. She earned her master's and then her doctorate in public health. She was one of the first students in this public health program at UC Berkeley.

Helping People Through Research

In 1973, Carol became a full professor. She focused on "reaching the hard-to-reach." This meant finding ways to help people who were often left out of health programs.

She worked to create and check public health programs. These programs were for people from communities that faced many challenges. She studied how to make sure people could get important health screenings.

Stopping Smoking in Young People

Carol led the first big study in the United States about stopping young people from smoking or chewing tobacco. This study was very important. It included young people from 38 different areas in California.

Breast Health for Women with Disabilities

With another researcher, Joan Bloom, Carol studied breast cancer in young women. They found that women with disabilities often didn't get information about breast screenings.

This discovery made Carol start a program called Breast Health Access for Women with Disabilities. This program helped many women. It even became a model for other programs across the country.

Healthy Food in School Books

Carol also looked at school textbooks. She worked with Rosalind Singer. They noticed that many textbooks showed sugary snacks as rewards for good behavior. They found that cake appeared in one out of every twelve food pictures! This showed how important it was to teach about healthy eating.

Awards and Special Recognition

Carol D'Onofrio received many awards for her important work:

• In 2009, she was named Alumna of the Year by the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.
• She was honored as a Fellow of the National Society for Public Health Education.
• She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Alta Bates Summit Medical Center.

Carol's Personal Life

Carol D'Onofrio passed away in April 2020. She had two children and four grandchildren.